Bridebook: A Helpful Wedding Planning Companion

I know you have already discovered planning your wedding can be arduous. Even for the most enthusiastic and organised ones amongst us.

I’ve been there. I know.

There is an overwhelming amount of resources and wedding websites, copious amounts of services and suppliers to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start to pull everything together and that’s before we even tackle the guest list. Allow me to introduce you to Bridebook. I have a feeling this might come in handy!

Bridebook is a clever, free and painless wedding planning app and website, for savvy wedding couples. Founded by groom-to-be at the time, Hamish Shepard, (who married his sweetheart Rosie last summer). Hands-on groom Hamish, quickly discovered how admin intensive planning a wedding was and created Bridebook to help take some of the laborious and sometimes stressful administration, (and as Hamish calls it; “parental interference”), away and make planning much, easier and much more efficient.

With advanced wedding planning tools including checklists, very popular budgeting and guest list management tools, right through to wedding gift list comparison and national supplier directories, it is an incredibly sophisticated and handy helpful companion to seamlessly guide you through your wedding planning.

When I got married I had about 7 spreadsheets with several tabs, scraps of paper and two wedding planners (the paper type). Trying to stay on track of ever evolving budgets was painful, even for this organisation queen, so I know I would have benefited from this in-genius idea when I got wed.

I spent some time with the Bridebook team and discovered their wedding budget calculator is one of the most popular aspects. So I picked their brain to discover more about how Bridebook can guide you with you with your budget and more, whilst alleviating some of that wedmin! Discover more!

How can couples budget accordingly when there is so much choice and discrepancies with the amount a service may cost in London v’s Yorkshire for example?

Photography: Nikolay Mint

It is amazing how much the average wedding budget can vary depending on area. For example, Scotland’s average is currently £13,638 whereas London is £25,450.

With such stark differences, approaching how to handle your budget can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, there are helpful ways to save and track your budget using Bridebook.

A couple’s budget starts first and foremost with the figure the couple and if relevant, their family, agree on. Once that is established, a couple using the Bridebook budget tool can input the figure into the calculator, and our algorithm will show how much of their budget can be spent on each aspect of their wedding. While this doesn’t take into account cost discrepancies based on location, the couple can easily gather every quote and payment they make so that they can stay within budget. For example, a couple getting married in London may decide to spend more than the amount the calculator recommended on their London florist, but then save on their catering by having a family friend handle the food. They would simply input these figures into their budget, and the calculator updates automatically to illustrate how they can divide the remaining budget.

Where do you advise couples to start with their budgeting?

Photography: William Iven

Start off by establishing a clear budget for your wedding – this always saves lots of stress later on!

Have a chat with each other and your parents (or those who may be contributing to your wedding) to see how much or if each of you can in fact, contribute.

The next step is to establish how many guests you want to invite (always keeping in mind that the fewer guests you have, the cheaper your wedding will be). From there you can start getting a better idea of how much things should cost for you according to your budget and party size. There’s never a cookie cutter answer, as all weddings are unique and different!

Luckily, our wedding budget calculator is a great way to start seeing how your wedding budget can be broken down. When you set up your Budget tool on Bridebook we ask a series of relevant questions such as how many guests you’d like, the day of the week and season you are getting married, and which extra suppliers you are hoping to have. All of these are the defining features for how much your wedding may cost. From there, the tool will break down your ideal budget so you have an idea of how much of your budget you should be spending on what!

What tips can you give to couples worrying about finances and feeling pressured to have a certain ‘type’ of wedding even if it is stretching them financially?

Photography: Melnikov Sergey

Firstly, the only type is your type!

Every couple’s wedding is unique and special in their own way, so if you are feeling like you need to conform to a certain ‘type’, be sure it is reflective of you and your relationship. The more personal weddings are always the best ones! (Nu Bride: I have to agree!)

Regardless of your type, there are some great ways a couple can save on costs without sacrificing the style of the wedding. The main cost of a wedding is generally the venue, and luckily there are some very easy ways to save here. Getting married in the off-peak months and avoiding the summer months is always an easy win! Venues often have reduced pricing for months like October-February (avoiding the Christmas period). If you’re dead set on a summer wedding but don’t want to stretch for the cost of a Saturday wedding, consider getting married during the week such as a Thursday. Some venues are able to offer different pricing for a weekday versus a weekend.

Recruiting help from family and friends is another great way of saving your budget.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! If anyone in your family or friend group has a particular panache for floristry, cooking or baking for example, make the most of their skill-set and be sure to ask them if they would be willing to help out. Considering it’s your special day, they’re sure to want to help in any way they can.

Tell us more about the Bridebook app?

Photography: Kaushal Panchal

The app is changing the wedding planning game as it allows even the busiest couples to work on their wedding planning whenever and wherever is convenient.

We recognise how the type of couples getting married has shifted significantly in the past few years, the most relevant of which is how most couples have both partners working full-time throughout wedding planning. The app allows these couples to work on their Bridebook together, at the same time, from their respective phones.

So while one is at the gym, and one on their commute for example, they can both be working on fine tuning their guest-list, reading articles, or searching for their suppliers at the same time, with immediate and automatic updates to the account. It’s a wedding planning app designed with the modern couple in mind!

Discover more about how Bridebook can make your wedding planning seamless:

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Nu Bride is a multi award-winning modern wedding blog dedicated to adding a splash of diversity to the uK wedding industry
For the contemporary couples looking for inspiration, planning advice and guidance in the wonderful world of weddings.
Founded by Diversity Consultant and Wedding Expert Nova Reid aka: Nu Bride. Say hello!
nova@nubride.com

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